One of the most popular and practical means for packaging a product today is a tube dispenser. Many products are neither in a completely solid, nor in a completely liquid form, and therefore must be held within a type of container which conforms to their consistency. For some products, such as hair gel which is typically applied directly onto a person's head or onto a person's hands, a tube dispenser is a convenient way of packaging. But, for a product such as toothpaste, which is only applied onto a toothbrush because of its oral application, a tube dispenser is the logical type of packaging available.
Tube dispensers are usually made of a flexible, resilient material. There are some tube dispensers that are designed to allow a portion of the product to be squeezed out after which, the dispenser returns to its original shape. There are also tube dispensers that conform to the shape that they are squeezed into--a toothpaste tube is a good example of this type of tube dispenser.
Regardless of which type of tube is utilized there is a common problem associated with all tube dispensers. When a product is packaged in a tube dispenser the dispenser is filled to a certain pre-determined level with the product. According to most tube dispenser directions, the dispenser should be grasped and the product within is forced out by a squeezing motion originating from the sealed end of the dispenser. As the product is used the dispenser is emptied of the product. Once a person has squeezed out all of the product within the tube dispenser, the dispenser is discarded. However, no matter how much a person tries, unless they go to extreme means, they will not be able to squeeze out all of the product within the tube dispenser. Often the amount of a product which remains within a seemingly empty tube dispenser is far greater than what appears from the "used" dispenser.
There have been some attempts to remedy this problem but it has still proven difficult to completely empty the product within a tube dispenser. Obviously, if there was some means of accomplishing this it would be a great benefit for all people who utilize one, or more, products that come packaged in a tube dispenser.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention, however the following U.S. patents are considered related:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. INVENTOR ISSUED ______________________________________ 5,222,629 Tal, Z. June 29, 1993 5,071,036 Kelly, H., et al Dec. 10, 1991 4,574,983 Faatkin, H. March 11, 1986 4,159,787 Wright, S. July 3, 1979 ______________________________________
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,222,629 patent discloses a device for removing a desired quantity of a pasty substance contained in a flexible tube. The device consists of an integral structure which includes two elongated members at least one of which is resilient. The elongated members define an opening which gradually narrows from a relatively wide entrance to a narrow slot, and are each separated from the connecting frame by a second slot permitting a resilient movement of at least one of the elongated members. A desired quantity of the content of the tube is expelled by pressing the two elongated members toward each other.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,071,036 patent discloses an extrusion aid which consists of a strip of a low friction material, such as a Polymer, but which is sufficiently rigid to deform the flexible wall of a tube containing paste or fluid. The strip is provided with an elongated slot which is wider at its ends and that terminates in part-circular walls. The part-circular walls are spaced apart to accommodate the edges of a tube after extrusion takes place.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,574,983 patent discloses an accumulator device that is threaded over a closed end of a partially emptied collapsible tube dispenser. The device includes a flat body member and at least two slots through the member. The slots are positioned parallel to each other so that when the flattened portion of a partially emptied tube is pulled through one slot and against the edge of the slot, the material in the tube is pushed toward the open end. By inserting the closed end through the other slot and pulling up the slack to form a reverse bend, the material remaining in the tube is trapped therein.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,159,787 patent discloses a clamp device for evacuating the contents of a flexible tube dispenser. The device includes upper and lower arm portions having a straight trailing side, a forward side having a centrally located curved portion, and opposing arcuate surfaces such that the arm portions are thickest at their centers. End members maintain the separation of the arm portions. In one embodiment, the arm portions are permanently affixed to the end members. In a second embodiment, the lower arm portion is latchably connected to one of the end members.
For background purposes and as indicative of the art to which the invention is related reference may be made to the remaining cited patents.
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. INVENTOR ISSUED ______________________________________ 1,291,228 (GB) Monk Oct. 4, 1972 3,289,892 Sencabaugh Dec. 6, 1966 1,482,872 (FR) Hirsch Feb. 11, 1966 ______________________________________